I saw a policeman when I was taking Blake to school today.  I wasn’t doing anything wrong.  I had my seatbelt on.  I knew I wasn’t going too fast because I was stopped at a light.  But still, that little twinge in the pit of my stomach lit up.  As if he were sitting there waiting for me to do something wrong.  I hate that feeling.

It got me to thinking about a lot of things.  One of which was, why do we feel fear instead of safety when we see a policeman?  After all, their main objectives, by definition are to “protect the lives and property of citizens. They maintain order, catch lawbreakers, and work to prevent crimes.”  This should make me feel protected and safe, not insecure and afraid.  So why do I hold my breath and slightly cringe when I see a police officer? I know in my head that they are there to protect and serve, but my heart still holds that fear.  There could be several reasons, but I believe, at least for me, the reason is because I know that I am a law breaker.  I’ve been caught one too many times.  Always for speeding.  I also assume that I have done something wrong unintentionally, because I’m not familiar or can’t remember all the particulars of traffic law, parking, following distance, etc.  So there resides in me a fear of the police.  In my mind, they are just waiting for me to fail so they can bust me.  I don’t think of them in terms of what they are there for – to protect and serve.

And then it hit me.  Is this why some people avoid God?  Is this why a close relationship with HIm seems frightening?  Do we picture him in the same way I see the police – as someone watching who is capable of protecting us, but whose main objective is to bust us?  Is He just waiting for us to screw up so He can nail us?

If this is how people feel about Jesus, no wonder they don’t want to consider being close to Him.  It would be scary to put your trust in someone who you think is out to get you.  That doesn’t feel safe or secure.  How do you invest in a relationship with someone that  you are afraid is going to throw the book at you?  Intimacy isn’t even a possibility if it is a relationship based only on fear.

Thankfully, such misconceptions are far from the truth.  Look at these scriptures that tell us exactly why Jesus did come to earth:

Luke 19:10 – “For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”

Ezekiel 34:14 – “I will be like a shepherd looking for his scattered flock. I will find my sheep and rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on that dark and cloudy day.”

Matthew 18:11 – “For the Son of Man came to save the lost.”

John 3:17 – “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

1 Timothy 1:15 – “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners–of whom I am the worst.”

Now there are different sirens that I hear in my head.  A firetruck.  A medic.  The sounds of rescue and relief.  The sounds that tell us that help is on the way and that everything will be okay.  See the difference?  The lights and siren of the police car evoke fear, because when we  see it and hear it we are aware of our sin and shortcomings and our bad situation. But when we hear the firemen and medics coming in an emergency we feel a relief from dread.  Rescue is on the way.  We are soon to be saved from our present situation.

The law, as the police in this analogy, came to expose our sin, to make us aware of the junk in our hearts and lives.  To reveal our need for a Savior.  Jesus, on the other hand, came as that Savior, the fireman, the medic,  to rescue us.

I have been rescued from much and am continually rescued – from my sin, my selfishness, my pride, etc.  And when I really let that sink in, that Jesus came and was my hero, that He saved me from myself, just because He loved me, wow! How could I not be in love with Him?  He saved my life.  And if He can save me, then I can trust Him with the little every day things that make up my life.